10 Best Gaming Mice 2016 – Buying Guide

The gaming market has grew tremendously over the past decade. There are now more choices than ever before when it comes to PC accessories. For professional gamers, a gaming mouse is one of the most crucial components for success. Choosing the best gaming mice is difficult but not impossible. To successfully narrow down the list of gaming mice, you will need to consider what you want in a gaming mice. This is determined by the way you hold your mouse, the type of genre you play, and the additional features you prefer in a gaming mouse.

In this article, there will be plenty of choices for you to choose from. Each mouse has been separated into categories based on what each mouse has been built for. There are gaming mice that are built for many types of games such as Starcraft II, Counter-Strike, Dota 2, League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, World of Warcraft, Doom, and many more. There are gaming mice that are flexible and multi-functional such as ambidextrous or wireless gaming mice.

Best All-Purpose Gaming Mouse

The Logitech G502 Proteus Core is the best all-around gaming mice because it is easily adjustable and has a lot of customizable features. This gaming mice has an adjustable weight and grip. It comes with five 3.6g weights that can be added or repositioned to add extra weight to the front or rear chassis. Take advantage of the Logitech G502 Proteus Core and find a weight that feels good for you.

The G502 has 11 programmable buttons that can be personalized and saved on one of the onboard profiles. Or you could choose from thousands of profiles saved on your PC. The extra buttons are useful for people who play massively multiplayer online (MMO) games. But not intrusive enough to limit the G502 to only one genre of gaming.

The G502 is designed to be versatile and adaptable. The Proteus Core can adjust the DPI settings conveniently and effortlessly. Shift through five DPI settings from a precise 200 DPI to a lightning fast 12,000 DPI. Whether you are playing MMOs, MOBA, RTS or first-person shooters (FPS), this gaming mouse can be customized to fit your playing style.

Best Gaming Mice for FPS

The Steelseries Sensei is an excellent gaming mouse for first-person shooters. Games such as Counter-Strike Global Offensive (CS:GO), Call of Duty, Battlefield, Left 4 Dead 1 & 2, Team Fortress 2, and more all benefit from having a precise and accurate gaming mouse. It is one of the leading gaming mice used by professional gamers. The SteelSeries Sensei is popular because it satisfies the performance demands required by professional players.

Like all great mice, the Sensei can be customized in many different ways. Personalize and fine tune every specification setting such as the lift distance, button functionality, and CPI. Many functionalities can be customized straight from the mouse. Extra customization such as illumination, macros, and more are controlled with SteelSeries Engine.

The Sensei can be illuminated by up to 16.8 million colors. Multiple color profiles can be saved. Steelseries recognizes that not all surfaces are equal and gives you the ability to customize the lift distance using ExactLift. ExactSense allows complete control over CPI increments from 1 to 5,700.

The Steelseries Sensei is ambidextrous, which means it can be used by both righties and lefties. The Sensei is slightly smaller than other gaming mice. It has been built for a claw grip and fingertrip grip. The benefit is of course a faster reaction time, but it does slightly sacrifice the comfort of a palm grip.

The Razer DeathAdder Chroma is one of the most popular gaming mice for professional gamers. It is built for comfort with its renowned ergonomic design. The ergonomic shape of the DeathAdder Chroma fits perfectly under the palm of your hand. The rubber side grips keeps you in control over extended gaming periods. The weight distribution have been optimized to have the perfect balance of weight. A gaming mice too heavy will hinder movement, while a gaming mice too light will interfere with control.

The ultra sensitive optical sensor is capable of mouse movement speeds of up to 200 inches per second and 50g acceleration. The DeathAdder Chroma is capable of delivering up to 10,000 DPI. While the upper limit of DPI is useful, it is not necessary for FPS gaming. Most FPS gamers will play on lower sensitivities because accuracy is very important. In games, such as Counter-Strike Global Offensive (CS:GO), it is incredibly important to have high precision. The DPI sensitivity can be adjusted between 200 and 10,000.

The DeathAdder Chroma offers a full spectrum of colors with 16.8 million customizable color options. The colors of both the scroll wheel and Razer logo can be changed. The huge amount of colors is very similar to other gaming mice and it serves to illuminate the mouse to give it a more elegant look.

Unlike the SteelSeries Sensei, the DeathAdder Chroma is not ambidextrous. It is optimized for right-handed users. The DeathAdder Chroma is slightly larger than the SteelSeries Sensei because it is designed for a palm grip rather than claw or fingertip grips. Therefore, many people may find the DeathAdder to be more comfortable than the Sensei.

Best Gaming Mice for RTS, MMO, MOBA

The Razer Naga Chroma is a fantastic mouse for massively multiplayer online games (MMOG or MMO). This gaming mouse has an impressive 19 fully programmable buttons with 12 mechanical buttons on its side alone. The extra macro keys are extremely useful for games like World of Warcraft which require a lot of extra keys. The side buttons are sparsely placed making it quicker and easier to press than number keys on your keyboard.

The Naga Chroma is designed and optimized primarily for MMO enthusiasts. It has an in-game MMO configurator making it easy to customize macros and hotkeys straight from the game. The non-intrusive overlay can be used to visually display icons so you’ll know exactly which button to hit every time.

While the main selling point for the Razer Naga Chroma is the programmable buttons, there are a lot more advanced features that it offers. The gaming mice has an incredible 16,000 DPI with an ability to track 1 DPI increments. The Chroma color lighting can be customized with up to 16.8 million color options. The tilt-click scroll wheel on the Razer Naga Chroma can move left and right, as well as up, down, and in.

There are a few additional options besides the Naga Chroma. The Naga Epic Chroma has a wireless/wired option, but 8200 DPI compared to 16,000 DPI of the Chroma. The Naga Left Handed, as its name suggests, has the buttons on the left. The Naga Hex is optimized for MOBA gaming and has 6 side buttons instead of 12.

The Logitech G303 Daedalus Apex is the best gaming mice for multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) or real-time strategy (RTS) games. The key difference between MMO and MOBA gaming mice are the lack of keys. The Logitech G303 only has 6 programmable keys, while the Razer Naga Chroma has 19 programmable keys. The number of extra keys isn’t essential to the success of professional players who play Defense of the Ancients 2 (Dota 2) or League of Legends (LoL).

The mouse is designed for gaming enthusiasts. It has a lightweight design and when combined with Delta Zero sensor technology, it enhances comfort, accuracy, and responsiveness for high-speed gaming. It is Logitech’s most accurate optical sensor with zero smoothing or filtering across entire DPI ranges. The sensor can be fine-tuned to the mouse surface for maximum high-speed performance and lower lift-off distance.

The Daedalus Apex features five custom DPI settings, from a precise 200 DPI to a lightning fast 12,000 DPI. The high sensitivity offers great value and control for MOBA and RTS games. While it does not offer the highest sensitivity, this gaming mouse is very durable and comfortable. Playing Dota 2 or League of Legends for long hours requires a mouse that can handle continuous clicking. The primary left and right mouse buttons have been tested for 20 million clicks.

Best Ambidextrous Mice

The SteelSeries Sensei Raw is a magnificent ambidextrous gaming mouse. It takes all of the best things out of the SteelSeries Sensei and produces a pure performance gaming mouse. The Raw edition is stripped down and refined to create the best gaming experience. An excellent gaming mice for first-person shooters or RTS/MOBA gaming. It is perfect for righties and lefties as well. The Sensei Raw is both ergonomic and economical.

The Sensei Raw is one of the more popular gaming mice for Counter-Strike Global Offensive (CS:GO) because of its affordability and performance. The cut-down version features two surface material options: Rubberized and Glossy. The rubberized material provides a soft-touch coating that is hand-sweat resistant, which offers greater grip and comfort during long gaming sessions. The glossy material is elegant and beautiful, but does leave fingerprints.

Similar to the SteelSeries Sensei, the Sensei Raw can scale up to 5670 increments of 90 CPI. The Steelseries switches have been tested for a 30-million click lifetime. This gaming mice is durable and built to last. Because this is a slimmed down version of the Sensei, the illumination options are limited. The Sensei Raw only features one solid color, white. However, there are various lighting settings such as solid, slow, medium, and fast pulse.

The Sensei Raw is by no means the best ambidextrous gaming mouse Steelseries has to offer, but it does provide an affordable option without hindering performance. The more advanced Steelseries Sensei is another ambidextrous gaming mouse that should be considered. And the Sensei Wireless is another good option for ambidextrous gamers.

The Zowie FK2 is a small and lightweight ambidextrous gaming mouse. The Zowie FK2 weighs only 85 grams, while the Sensei Raw weighs 117 grams. The difference may not seem significant but for people accustomed to claw or fingertip grips it is much more apparent. The Zowie FK2 is noticeably easier to maneuver and much more comfortable because of its low lift-off distance and lightweight body.

Although not as popular as the other gaming mice on this list, the Zowie FK2 excels where it matters, comfort and performance. The Zowie FK2 does not come with extravagant LED lighting and excessive features. But at its core it does have what’s important. It has a selection of 400/800/1600/3200 DPI. The DPI may seem low but the Zowie FK2 was designed for claw grip usage. It performs remarkably well in games like Counter-Strike, where precision matters.

It is very popular among professional and competitive gamers around the world. The main difference between the Zowie FK2 and the Zowie FK1 is the size and weight. The Zowie FK2 is smaller and lighter. The difference between the two isn’t considerable. Both gaming mice are designed to be claw grips, so if you prefer a slightly bigger mouse then get the Zowie FK1.

Best Wireless Mice

The Logitech G602 is a wireless mouse with an incredibly long battery life. The biggest disadvantage of a wireless gaming mouse is the worry of running out of power. The Logitech G602 has eight times the typical wireless performance. The battery lasts up to 250 hours of non-stop gaming or 1440 hours in endurance mode. With the Delta Zero sensor technology, Logitech is able to properly optimize battery consumption as well as greater control.

The Logitech G602 has 11 programmable buttons. The extra buttons make it more viable for MMO players while also providing additional control for FPS gamers. The DPI can be changed instantly while in game with a single touch of a button. There are five DPI settings per profile. The DPI can be changed between 250 DPI to 2500 DPI. The DPI range may be low for gaming mice, but it is one of the higher DPI ranges for wireless gaming mouses.

The SteelSeries Sensei Wireless is one of the best wireless gaming mouse because of its versatility, performance and design. This gaming mouse has the same iconic shape as the Sensei. The comfort and design has been inspired by the SteelSeries Sensei. There are 16.8 million colors for custom illumination. The Sensei Wireless is an ambidextrous gaming mouse, so for the people who want an ambidextrous wireless mouse this is it.

The performance on this wireless gaming mouse is top-notch. It delivers premium precision designed for gamers who value lag-free performance. The CPI is 8200 which is much higher than the Logitech G602. Since the shape is modeled after the Sensei, it is much smaller than the Logitech G602. This is good for gaming, but it does limit battery performance.

The battery is much less impressive when compared with Logitech G602. The battery lasts around 16 hours on balanced mode and up to 20 hours with battery save mode. But don’t be too worried about the battery life because it can be switched to wired mode. The versatility of having both wired and wireless options make this mouse perform exceptionally well.

Best Budget Gaming Mouse

The Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury is the best budget gaming mouse. The ultra-fast Hyperion Fury gaming mouse is under $50, which makes it a very attractive for budget conscious people. Despite being a more economical option, the Logitech G402 has many of the great features found on the Logitech G502. Programmable buttons, on-the-fly DPI switching, an accurate but fast optical sensor, and many more features.

The programmable buttons gives this mouse a little bit of versatility. It doesn’t have an abundance of buttons, like the Razer Naga, but 8 programmable buttons should be more than enough. The DPI switching is done on the fly with four settings to easily shift between 250 DPI to 4000 DPI. The DPI count may not seem high, but this gaming mouse was designed for FPS gaming in mind.

It is built with lightweight materials and a streamlined shape for comfort. The lightweight materials and super-low friction mouse feet ensures comfort and easy maneuverability. Similar to most Logitech gaming mice, the Hyperion Fury offers extreme comfort and responsiveness while clicking. Responsive high-speed clicking is important while engaged in intense firefights. The Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury is comfortable, affordable, and can really perform.

How to choose the best gaming mouse

There is a huge selection when it comes to gaming mice. Choosing the best gaming mice may be difficult at first glance, but it gets a lot easier when you consider what best suits you. The shape and size are important but so is the price. To understand what you truly need, you should determine the way you grip your mouse. This helps you determine the appropriate size and shape of your mouse.

The sensitivity comes next. This depends on what type of game you play. For FPS gamers, they may want a more accurate lightweight mouse. While MMO or RPG gamers may want a mouse with more programmable buttons. Or if you prefer a hybrid gaming mouse with lots of programmable buttons while also being accurate and lightweight.

Mouse Grip

To determine the appropriate shape and size of the mouse, you must first determine how you grip your mouse. People tend to hold their mouse using three types of mouse grips: the palm grip, claw grip, and fingertip grip. Each grip depends on your own personal preference.

The Palm Grip is the most popular grip because it is the most comfortable way to hold a mouse. Your entire palm rests comfortably on the surface of the mouse. Your fingers are stretched out and lay flat on the buttons. The advantage of the palm grip is less fatigue over long periods of time. The disadvantage is a slower reaction time, but higher accuracy and better control.

The Claw Grip is when your hand is arched above the mouse and your fingertips lay across the buttons forming a claw-like shape. This creates six contact points on the mouse. It means you still have great control over your mouse and a faster reaction time. This grip improves performance by emphasizing more on rapid movement and speed over control and comfort.

The Fingertip Grip is holding your mouse with your fingertips. Your fingers are responsible for steering and controlling the entire mouse. It is for extremely quick movements with the least points of contact on the mice. The entire design of the fingertip grip is based around speed. But the lack of contact points and support can lead to fatigue over long gaming periods. The grip is also takes the most time to get used to, but for serious gamers it can greatly improve performance.

Size and Ergonomics

The size and shape of your gaming mouse should be determined by the way you grip your mouse. The majority of gaming mice are designed for the palm grip. The size and shape should be a little larger than mice designed for claw or fingertip grips. Mice made for claw grips are usually shorter and have a lower back arch angle, but this grip type can be used on almost any mouse. Mice designed for the fingertip grip should be lightweight and have the lowest back for smooth maneuverability.

While there is a huge variation on what people find most comfortable, this is a good starting point for finding the best gaming mice. In general the size, shape, and weight should get incrementally smaller when switching from palm grip, to claw grip, to fingertip grip for the most comfort.

Sensitivity

The sensitivity of gaming mice are defined using two terms: DPI and CPI. DPI means dots per inch and CPI means counts per inch. They are commonly used together to define the same thing. However, CPI is a more accurate term. A lower CPI means it takes longer to move the cursor across the screen, while a higher CPI means it is faster.

The desire to play at a high or low CPI is determined by the type of game you play. A lower CPI is slower but more accurate. A higher CPI is quicker but less precise. Most FPS players play at a low CPI because they need a gaming mouse designed for comfort and accuracy. While MMO players generally need quick access to lots of buttons and higher sensitivity.

In a more general sense, gamers with higher sensitivity tend to be players who move their mouse with their wrists. And players with lower CPI are usually gamers who move their mouse with their entire arm. This is perhaps a more precise way to determine whether you need a gaming mouse with high or low CPI.